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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23179147">Someone to stay</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherinbarbz/pseuds/Slytherinbarbz'>Slytherinbarbz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Frank and Amy against the world [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Punisher (TV 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adoption, Angry Frank Castle, Family Bonding, Father-Daughter Relationship, Foster Care, Growth, Hurt Frank Castle, Hurt/Comfort, Love/Hate, Protective Frank Castle, Running Away, Teen Angst, dad frank castle, hurt amy bendix, parental frank castle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:41:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,181</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23179147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherinbarbz/pseuds/Slytherinbarbz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank adopts Amy. Kinda.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amy Bendix &amp; Frank Castle, Frank Castle &amp; Dinah Midani</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Frank and Amy against the world [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Leaving</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Currently, Frank was in Midani’s office. He’d already given his statement to Homeland, now it was Amy’s turn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so,” Midani walked into the room with Amy following behind her. “I’m quickly going to finish up some paperwork. You two, wait here ‘till I’m back. After, you’re free to go.” She motioned for Amy to sit down, and then left, closing the door behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amy sat down in Midani’s office chair and put her feet onto her desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really shouldn’t be doing that, you know.” Frank stated disapprovingly. Amy had already stolen from Midani, now she’s getting her desk all dirty. “Midani’s already doing you a lot of favors, she could’ve just let you go to prison! She still could.” Frank threatened. Amy just rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not that gullible, Frank. I’m not a child,” Amy retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well stop acting like one then.” He said. Amy shot him a devilish grin and stood up… and proceeded to climb onto the table. “Amy! Get off of there, now!” Frank said, voice dripping in annoyance. He hasn’t slept in days and was not in the mood for this. When Amy didn’t obey him he grabbed her by her legs and swung her over his shoulder. “You done acting like that?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you! Put me down.” Amy huffed. This was the first time he had heard her cuss and it startled him into letting her down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up, kid? Why are you being like this?” Frank asked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what? Hm? Like my life is </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> falling apart? There might be no Russians chasing me, but my life is still a goddamn shithole!” Amy exclaimed. “All my friends are- they’re dead! The only fucking person who cared for me- They’ll place me back in foster care, or what if my biological parents suddenly want me? I can’t go back there, Frank! I can’t-” Then she burst into tears. Frank’s parental instincts kicked in and he hugged her, held her while she cried into his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kid, don’t worry. Midani’ll figure it out. She can pull some strings-” Frank started, but was cut off by Midani coming in. He let go of Amy and Amy quickly wiped away her tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I just finished- Am I interrupting?” Dinah asked as she looked up from her files.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Midani, can I speak to you outside?” Frank wasn’t really asking; he practically pushed her back out of the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on, Frank?” Dinah asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going to happen to Amy?” Frank asked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, uh- She’ll be placed back in foster care, I reckon. Child protective services are going to-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Frank interrupted her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” Dinah snorted. “What do you mean no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She can’t go back into the system. She’s had bad experiences before, she’s going to run away again and go back to how she was living before, Dinah.” Frank explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Frank, there’s not much else she can do, apart from emancipation, but-” Dinah started talking again, but was interrupted by Frank. Over his dead body was Amy going to live by herself. She’s just a kid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you crazy? She can’t live alone. She hasn’t even finished highschool! What else?” Frank asked. Dinah paused a second and sighed before continuing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I could pull some strings and find her a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> family, one that’s not just taking her in for the money, but that’ll take some time, Frank. And in the meantime-” Dinah hesitated for a second. “She can stay with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Midani.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Frank heard Dinah’s suggestion he was ecstatic. He was glad Amy was going to be safe. Although some part of him was a bit somber she was going to leave. He knew it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> leaving, but still. She was going to get a new family, a new home, a good education, a new life. Frank was truly happy for Amy, but was sad he wasn’t going to be in her new life. He knew she’d object to this, but she couldn’t move on with him around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were on their way to Dinah’s apartment. Frank and Dinah hadn’t told Amy yet about their plan. They thought it was best to do it in a safe space. Frank knew Amy wouldn’t be thrilled about this solution, but it was what’s best for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I have no say in my own fucking life?” Amy exclaimed. They had just told her the plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to get a good family, I’ll make sure of it. And say anything were to go wrong you can always call me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What ‘good’ family would want a fuck up like me? Families don’t want older kids. That’s rule nr. 1 in foster-” This time Frank pitched in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say that, Amy. You’re not a fuck up and that’s not true. Look on the bright side, this is a chance for you to get your life back, Ames! You can go to school and build a career, a family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand, Frank.” Amy looked at Frank with a look of betrayal and despair. Her tears were on the verge of spilling. “How do you think I met Fiona? It was my only choice. I had been in so many foster homes, good foster homes among them, but it never lasts. Nobody has ever- No one will ever-” Amy paused and took a deep breathe. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.” She said in a soft, broken voice, as if she was giving up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Amy, it’s not like-” Amy turned around and started walking to Dinah’s guest bedroom, ignoring Frank’s words. “Amy, come back here.” Frank shouted after her, but was met with a door slamming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later that night Frank went to check in on Amy, one last time. He was going to leave that night. He trusted Dinah with Amy and Amy’s future. It was dangerous for him to stay with her any longer. She might’ve been safe from the Russians, but she wasn’t safe from all the enemies Frank had made. It was best for her if they didn’t have any contact. If anything were to happen, Curtis could contact Frank. This was going to be goodbye, hopefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kid?” Frank said as he knocked on the door. When he didn’t get an answer he opened the door… to an empty room. He quickly checked under the bed, but Amy wasn’t there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Amy?” He shouted. “Fucking hell. Midani!” He shouted with concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” Dinah said as she rushed in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s gone!” Frank said. Dinah took one look at the room and waited a second before saying: ‘I’ll call Mahony.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Staying</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s been 2 weeks. Agent Mahony couldn’t find Amy. The NYPD couldn’t find any leads. They had no idea where she could’ve gone. Frank was so worried and decided to stay a little while and work with Dinah to find her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They, on the other hand, </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting somewhere, but not far. They had tracked down a few of her old friends and foster families, but she wasn’t with the one's they had checked so far. Not surprising, considering she despised the system, but it was something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right now they were on their way to New Orleans of all places. Frank was driving when Dinah got a call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, thank you.” Dinah finished up the call and turned to Frank. “Turn the car around. She’s in Carlisle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? What do you mean she’s in Carlisle?” Frank asked her, shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She got arrested. I pulled a string and they’re not pressing charges. I told them we’d be there in an hour to pick her up.” Dinah explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arrested? For what?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was in the house the police did a drug bust in. They thought she might’ve been involved.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A fucking drug bust?!” Frank exclaimed. “What’s she up to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry. They haven’t confirmed any involvement, or established a relationship with the gang.” Dinah tried to calm him down, but nothing really could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had this rage in him, but it was overpowered with concern. Not that he’d let anyone know this. There was a sort of parental feeling coming over him. Something he hadn’t felt in a while. It kind of scared him, but also sparked something in him. It was like he’d been numb for so long, just surviving, but now he was feeling and living.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They got to the police station in Carlisle and Dinah was talking to the sheriff. After they were done he went in the back and soon walked out with Amy following him, with a sheepish grin on her face masking her nervousness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amy looked like a mess. Her hair was like a birds-nest, she was holding a pair of heels in her hands while walking barefoot, and she was wearing a short party dress with spaghetti straps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank noticed how the AC was up and instinctively started taking off his jacket, which he put around Amy’s shoulders, silently when she walked over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Mitch.” Dinah said to the sheriff, Mitch. “I owe you one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You owe me two.” Mitch replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked to the car in silence. Amy sat in the backseat, and this time Frank sat in the passenger's seat while Dinah took the wheel. They were driving a few minutes, when Amy broke the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, it’s not what it looks like. I-” She started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A gang? Drug dealers? Wow, Amy you really pick great friends, huh. This is exactly why you need a good family to take care of you, obviously you can’t take care of yourself.” Frank spat. His words really stung Amy, but she wasn’t going to show her pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck this. I grew up with one of them, okay? I didn’t even know he was involved in this shit. He owes me and I needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> to- to get me out of this shit! You can’t expect me to-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should’ve left the moment you found out he was involved! That’s what a responsible person would do. Amy, you could’ve gotten killed!” Frank shouted. Saying that aloud made it real. She was in real danger. She could’ve been mistaken as a dealer during the bust and gotten shot!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop overreacting, Frank.” Amy said as she rolled her eyes, “If you’d let me have some control in my own damn life, I wouldn’t have had to go looking for Jack!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few more hurtful words were exchanged, the fight simmered down and the rest of the ride home was spent in silence. Dinah and Frank dropped Amy off at Curtis and went to deal with ‘some business’. Amy thought it was weird. Why run errands in the middle of all this? But then again why do anything they have done up until this point? She would never understand neither Dinah nor Frank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amy was angry and hurt. She felt she was being treated unfairly. Frank wanted to call all the shots about her life without consulting her, but didn’t want to play a role in it at all. If he was going to leave and never look back, the least he could do is let her have a say in what was going to happen to </span>
  <em>
    <span>her.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She didn’t understand why he cared at all. He sure didn't care enough to stay. No one ever did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When nighttime rolled around Curtis made her go to sleep in the guestroom, bedroom door open. Not that she was stupid enough to run now. Jack was her only option. Now, she was broke and couldn’t find a place to stay or get money anywhere. She’d wait until she could steal enough money from either Midani, or whatever losers were her new fosters, to leave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t help but shed a tear or two as she tried to fall asleep. She couldn’t believe this is what her life has come to. She couldn’t believe she became so weak. How did she let her life come to this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amy woke up to her door slamming shut. It startled her and she sat right up, looking at her surroundings in fear. By the door stood Frank. He grabbed the chair at the desk and slid it towards the bed and sat on it. He noted how Amy’s eyes seemed puffy, she must’ve been crying. Amy noted how hard Frank was hiding his emotions. He had a hard look on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was talking to Midani about how we were going to get you to live with someone, without running away.” Amy’s face fell as he started this subject. It was too early for this. “Then I realized no one would be willing to deal with your bullshit, nor could anyone handle your shit. You’re a real handful, you know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Way to pour salt into the wound, Frank,’ Amy thought, but stayed silent, refusing to make any eye contact with Frank. That’s when Frank tossed a stack of papers he’d been hiding behind his back, on her lap. Amy looked up to shoot him a quick glance of confusion as she took the papers and skimmed through them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are they?” She asked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adoption papers.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So this is the chapter where it happens. I might make a story documenting the process, but maybe I'll just put a little paragraph about it in whatever story comes next. Ideas are always appreciated. I'll literally write any and all; I have all the time in the world, considering corona-quarantine. My country won't let us go back to school for at least 3 more weeks and my school isn't even doing online classes. We just got homework and we'll just have to figure it out. It hasn't even been a week and I'm already going stir-crazy. How is it for you guys?</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this is technically part 2 in my Frank-Amy series, but timeline-wise this came first. What did you guys think of chapter 1? Any ideas for future stories/ scenarios? Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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